Well, it's going...
5000+ words in and it's going okay. It's interesting how much faster the words come when I know where I'm going and what each little bit of prose is supposed to do. I'm sure the first draft will suck as much as first drafts ever do but I'm thinking the basic shape of the story is going to be right the first time. The story has a title, which is a rare thing for me, and I have made a cheerful desktop to remind me of what it's all about.
So far I'm going with "strict story structure exercises are helpful".
I was once in a multi-week writing workshop thingie with a guy who told us a useful mantra he learned from his improv group. It took all the fear out of performance, he said. It was this:
I suck and I love to fail!
I repeat this to myself whenever I'm working on a first draft. I suck and I love to fail! Because that's what the first draft is gonna do, and it's okay.
Somebody say something rah-rah-ish. Or entertaining. Or distracting. Or perhaps make a startling post to your own LJ. I have to write a semi-comic scene next, with Giles and Willow oblivious to a quietly-freaking Tara, but first I need to procrastinate. It's vitally important that I procrastinate.
So far I'm going with "strict story structure exercises are helpful".
I was once in a multi-week writing workshop thingie with a guy who told us a useful mantra he learned from his improv group. It took all the fear out of performance, he said. It was this:
I suck and I love to fail!
I repeat this to myself whenever I'm working on a first draft. I suck and I love to fail! Because that's what the first draft is gonna do, and it's okay.
Somebody say something rah-rah-ish. Or entertaining. Or distracting. Or perhaps make a startling post to your own LJ. I have to write a semi-comic scene next, with Giles and Willow oblivious to a quietly-freaking Tara, but first I need to procrastinate. It's vitally important that I procrastinate.
